Spring 2020

FNHC’s Head of Retail, Lily Caswell, explained the move. “Our little Shop in Haddenham was brilliantly supported by the local community but we were really struggling to cope with the level of donations in such a small space. We were delighted when the opportunity came up to be one of the first businesses to move to Bradmoor Farm’s brand new units and we are so happy with the space we now have.”

The Shop opened on Saturday 7th December with Shop Manager Annette Luck and FNHC’s CEO Jo Turner doing the honours and cutting the ribbon, accompanied by Charity mascot Florrie Bear, and a giant chicken! Customers of all ages were impressed by the range and

quality of stock as well as the Shop’s light and airy décor.

Annette says she is really excited about the new premises, and is hoping the local community will continue to donate and shop. “We are also recruiting Volunteer Retail Assistants,” Annette says. “If you can spare a few hours and would like to support the local community by volunteering at Florence on the Farm, then come and see us. We are a really friendly team and the role offers so much variety and is really sociable too.”

The Haddenham Shop is open from 9am-5pm Tuesday to Saturday, and 10am-4pm on Sundays. For more information, see our website at fnhospice.org.uk

Haddenham Shop moves to Bradmoor Farm

Reg Charity No. 1119499

Haddenham’s popular but tiny Florence Shop has taken a giant leap forward with a move into a former chicken shed. Thanks to an extensive renovation, the new unit at Bradmoor Farm in Haddenham offers a light and spacious space for the Charity to sell its treasure trove of donated and new items. Photo by Swale Photography

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VOLUNTEERING

2

NEWS

Every year Aylesbury Town Council organises the Aylesbury in Bloom garden competition for resident, organisations/businesses and schools. Categories range from Best Front Garden, to Best Back Garden, Best Edible Garden, Best Wildlife Nature Garden and Best Container Garden to Best Communal Garden.

The gardens are judged by volunteer judges Sandra Ferguson, Rosemary Brown, Anne Brooker, Janet Leech and Sue Wright, who are all keen gardeners and horticulturalists. All of them have been judging gardens for many years.

Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity achieved the highest marks in the Communal Garden category and was awarded the Mayor’s Cup.

“Huge congratulations to our team of Volunteer Hospice Gardeners who were

awarded Gold in the Communal Garden category and the Mayor’s Award for the Best Overall Communal Garden for their beautiful garden,” said Jo Turner, FNHC’s CEO. “We know our patients and their family and friends really appreciate the calm and beautiful space they have created and maintain for us. Thank you for all your hard work.”

Left to right, Mark Vosper from Michael Anthony Estate Agents, Gill Errington, Janet Leech, Aylesbury Town Mayor Cllr Mike Smith, Angela Gilmore and Tony Holder

Detail in the Hospice Garden. Photo by Ron Adams

Mayor’s Cup goes to Hospice Gardeners

Florence Nightingale Hospice Matron Liz Monaghan was nominated for the Best Nurse award in The Sun’s Who Cares Wins Awards 2019. Liz was nominated for her work on creating the Purple Rose campaign in Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust hospital Wards. “It’s a symbol to let others know that the people around the patient are with someone at the end of their life, sharing important moments, and to be mindful of that,” says Liz. This is needed on busy Wards where the patient can’t be moved to the Hospice because of the particular care they need, or because moving them would be too painful or difficult for the patient.

The Purple Rose kits which are supplied to Wards in BHT Hospitals are funded by Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity. “We are delighted that Liz’s initiative has been recognised by this award,”

said Jo Turner, CEO. “The Charity and the Hospice are focused on providing a special kind of care and support for those at the end of their lives and their families, and Liz has enabled that care to reach outside the Hospice by using the symbol of the Purple Rose to alert Ward staff to their special circumstances.”

Virgin Radio DJ Chris Evans presented Liz with her award

The Florence team had an absolutely brilliant day at the Bucks County Show at the end of August. It was just one of many events out in the community in the 30th Anniversary year where our staff and Volunteers had a chance to meet many people who have benefited from the care of the Hospice over the past 30 years.

Once again, the Retail Team had put together a brilliant range of clothes, shoes and accessories in the Pop-Up Shop and the County Show visitors loved it. As always, Florrie Bear was a hit with the children, as was the Wheel of Fortune and the tombola. The Charity raised nearly £3,500. “We are very grateful to everyone

who shopped and donated, and who said such kind things about the Hospice and the care they experienced,” said Events and Community Manager Vicky Harman.

County Show visitors show love for Hospice

Matron wins national care award

5

RETAIL

4

VOLUNTEERING

Instagrammer Carys Jones in one of the outfits she bought at the Fill-a-Bag event

Online Sales Manager Emily Sutherby decided to give the post-Christmas blues a run for their money by holding a Fill-a-Bag event on 4th January. “I’ve been to lots of these types of events before, and they have always been hugely well attended, so I felt Florence needed to do something similar because we get such lovely clothing donations,” said Emily. “I wanted to make the event as eco-friendly as possible, so I approached Morrison’s and asked if they would sponsor the sale by giving us some of their new paper bags. They kindly agreed to and also gave us the products for the Coffee Morning too!”

The total amount raised was £464 from the sale of bags, Coffee Morning and bargain packs of Christmas Cards. The feedback from customers was excellent, and it was clear that they got some amazing deals.

“I went to a @fnhcofficial charity shop sale on Saturday,” said Instagrammer @what_carys_wore after the event. “You paid £10 for a bag and could fill it then with anything you liked. This morning I’ve been trying on some of my finds. The navy Boden dress I’m actually wearing. As it’s navy it works so well with a variety of my @snagtights particularly liking the beach bum and the raspberry pie colours with it. The red dress is from Pretty Little Things, the straps need shortening but apart from that it’s a pretty good fit, even with the Christmas curves still present…The play suit is from H&M and will be perfect for the summer. Considering I didn’t try anything on I’m really chuffed with my bargains. I also picked up a cute grey woollen pinafore style dress from F&F, a

black French Connection dress…a dark purple silk cardigan from Jigsaw, and an Orla Kiely wash bag. Superb event and I’d seriously recommend going if you see one pop up near you.”

“I’d like to thank Morrison’s for their very kind sponsorship of the event, Mix 96 for their coverage in the lead up and on the day, BBC 3Counties Radio for inviting me on the show to test my knowledge of Aylesbury and promote the event! Omnikote for allowing us to use their car park and to everyone that volunteered their time in preparation and on the day itself. It wouldn’t have been such a brilliant success without the kindness and generosity of these people,” Emily said.

Customers love to Fill-a-BagNothing happens without Volunteers

Pickled onion, anyone?

Almost every story you read in this magazine will contain or mention a Florrie’s Volunteer. And every event and photo which celebrated the 30 years since the Hospice opened involved a Volunteer. From helping in the Shops to making tea in the Hospice, from wrapping gifts to pulling pints, from driving patients to supporting the Senior Management Team, every element of this Charity’s activity is underpinned by Volunteers, including the Trustees. Nothing the paid staff do would be possible without

the Volunteers. Equally, there would be no volunteering to be done if the Charity didn’t also have paid staff. It’s an effective, symbiotic, powerful relationship which enables the Charity to raise hundreds of thousands of pounds every year to pay for hospice care. The team at Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity never take our Volunteers for granted because without them there would be no Florence Nightingale Hospice. Thank you for celebrating the 30th Anniversary with us, and here’s to the next 30!

Our newest team of Volunteers is, oddly enough, becoming one of our biggest. They are a rare breed: tolerant of odd smells and strange discoveries, determined and patient, dedicated to the cause of turning empty crisp packets into something useful. They have put in a huge number of hours to sort out all the crisp packets that the community has collected for us. They empty them of crumbs and detritus such as pickled onion remnants, bits of sandwich and sweet wrappers and stuff them densely into 8kg mailing sacks so that the Charity can send them off to Terracycle and earn money for hospice care. Over the past three months, they have earned nearly £500 for the Hospice.

A huge thank you to all of our Crisp Packeteers: Kerry Beet; Louise Wooster; Jan Sergejew; Liz Neal; Maggie Ryan; Lorna Pope; Emma and Sophie; Beth and Rob Woodford; Katie Haughton; Lee Doyle; Mary Pool; Sam Mock; Thomas Dunmur; Michelle, Maddie and Poppy Bryan; Sarah Ashley; Debby, Emily and

Charley Moss; Gail and Joshua and Amelia; Clare and Toby; the pupils from Harding House who come every week; and the NCC group, led by Ron and Jan Adams: Lyn Lambourne, Val Sansom, Sue Kingsley, Eileen Innes, Laura Ewers, Simon Aldridge, Annette Jones, Janie Olney, Jo & William Herbert, Doreen Green and husband, Evelyn Ward, Jane Lutchmiah, Shirley Cashin, Yvonne Hook, Jackie Rickard, Sheila Rapley, Sylvia Durrant and Jean Hennessey.

And a special thank you to Crisp Packeteer Co-ordinator, Volunteer Sophie Markerson, and to the FNHC Reception team Liz Oxley and Lesley Elmore.

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RETAIL RETAIL

You’ve sorted the mortgage, perhaps with a help to buy or shared ownership deal, you’ve got the keys and you’ve moved into your new home. Now you’re ready to furnish it. If budget is limited because you’ve just put all your savings towards your deposit, your best bet is to see what bargains you can pick up at the Furniture Showroom on Chamberlain Road in Aylesbury.

To demonstrate how much you can do with your budget by shopping at the Furniture Showroom, the FNHC Retail Team were given use of a shared ownership unoccupied property courtesy of Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust whose employees support FNHC as their charity of the year. We furnished the sitting room, study, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom for under £3,000. All with furniture and accessories from the Furniture Showroom.

The furnished house was then scanned by 360 Scan to give a Virtual Tour experience, enabling the viewer to walk through each room. The incredible Virtual Tour they created is available on the Charity’s website and Facebook page, complete with price tags on the items in each room, and revealing a beautiful bedroom (pictured) furnished with a brand new Hypnos headboard for £199 and a double bed and mattress for £150.

“The fantastic scan donated by 360 Scan really shows how people can have more for less. We’ve created a stylish, comfortable, homely home on a jaw-droppingly low budget, and shown how shopping at the Furniture Showroom is a brilliant option for creating your perfect interior when money is tight,” said Lily Caswell, Head of Retail at FNHC. “We are really grateful to the Trust for allowing us to furnish one of their properties to show what’s possible.”

Living room furnished for £914 including sofa, footstool, chest and TV.

Bedroom furnished for £850 including bed and chest of drawers.

The Florence chain of shops is expanding further into Aylesbury Vale this spring with the addition of a Shop in Buckingham. The new Shop will be opening in February and can be found at 23 Bridge Street. The opening hours will be Monday to Saturday, 9am-5pm.

We will be looking to build a fabulous team of Volunteer Retail Assistants like

the ones we have in our other Shops, so if you would like a flexible, fun and sociable volunteering opportunity and you live in North Buckinghamshire, this could be just what you are looking for!

Contact us on volunteering@fnhospice.org.uk to find out more.

Furnish your house on a budget with Florence

Buckingham welcomes Florence Shop to Bridge StreetThe Wendover Shop team are extremely

excited that their Shop is going to get a full refurbishment and brand new look this spring. Wendover is Florence’s flagship shop, but it needs an upgrade after 28 years of shopping as well as there being some essential maintenance required. The Shop will be closed for a month while the work is carried out but we hope that all our Volunteers, customers and donors will be pleased with the result. Watch this space for a big reveal in the next issue!

Spring makeover for Wendover Shop

Thank you to…The show home appeared courtesy of the Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust and is one of their shared ownership properties. If you are interested in buying a Shared Ownership home with the Trust, more information can be found at: www.vaht.co.uk/buy-a-homeTo see the 360 Scan Virtual Tour of the furnished property, go to https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=ZYLB7j3DFXx or fnhospice.org.uk/furniture-showroom. To find out more about 360 Scans of properties and businesses, go to http://www.360-scan.co.uk/

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EVENTS

9

EVENTS

Two of the stunning cake entries in this year’s Aylesbury Bake Off chose to theme their cakes in honour of the 30th Anniversary. Amateur bakers from Kidd Rapinet, Horwood & James and George David Estate Agents showed immense creativity and talent, raising £126 for the Hospice in the process. The Judges this year were Jane Lutchmiah, Rachel Lucas and Jenny Burton of Aylesbury Town

Women’s Institute. Amanda Thompson of Kidd Rapinet LLP took the Judges’ Vote prize for the second year running with her toffee apple crumble cake and Ruzina Awan from Horwood & James Solicitors won the Public Vote with her exquisitely decorated rose cake which, when sliced, revealed sponge dyed to match the Charity’s brand colours of pink and green!

Hundreds of visitors flocked to the 26th Aylesbury Beer Festival to sample the 39 beers on offer. The Right Honourable Sir David Lidington MP and Aylesbury Town Mayor Cllr Mike Smith kindly came along to open the Festival.

“I’ve lost count of the number of people I’ve talked to who tell you how Florence Nightingale Hospice came to the rescue of a much loved parent or grandparent towards the end of their lives,” said Sir David. “The money that you spend over this weekend is going to go towards Florrie’s, and in particular, towards helping them take forward their Hospice at Home service, FNH@Home...to give many, many more families that quality of care that people need and deserve towards the end of their lives.”

The Sausage Festival saw around 252 sausages being consumed alongside 1,655 pints of real ale and the Festival raised around £10,000 for hospice care in Aylesbury Vale. The exclusive sausage recipes made up by Kings Farm Wendover using McCormick Ltd’s donated Schwartz Mexican and Baharat spice mixes were a huge hit.

Thirsty Thirty, Vale Brewery’s exclusive ale commemorating the Hospice’s 30th anniversary, sold out, while Chiltern Brewery’s Salted Caramel Ale was crowned ‘Best Beer of the Festival’ according to ale-drinkers rating it on the Aylesbury Beer Festival app created by local app developers Jetfruit.

Commemorative Thirsty Thirty ale hits the spot

Bakers choose 30th Anniversary theme

A taste of the Midnight Walk for little onesLittle ones love a fundraising event too but children below the age of 11 miss out on the magic of the Midnight Walk so we’ve created the Mini Night Walk on 7th March to give kids of all ages the chance to put on a pair of flashing bunny ears and do a one mile walk through Aylesbury after dark – and show their support for the Hospice too. Find out more at fnhospice.org.uk/mini-night-walk

David Lidington chats to a Volunteer at Beer Festival

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COMMUNITY

10

EVENTS

We were astonished and thrilled by the support of the Santas of Buckinghamshire last December.

Following the success of our first Santa Dash in Wendover in 2018, two additional events in Haddenham and Great Missenden were added for 2019 and over 900 people took part in the Santa Dashes, raising an amazing £6,000 for the Hospice!

The events saw whole families donning their Santa suits and taking to the streets to run over 2km, with children as well as grandparents and four-legged friends taking part in the fun. The Haddenham event was organised by the Haddenham Community Support Group who did a fantastic job.

“We would like to thank everyone who has given up their time to support our Santa Dashes during the busy festive period,” said FNHC’s Events Manager Vicky Harman. “None of these events would have been possible without the Volunteers who help to make the events run smoothly and safely. Also, we are really grateful to local businesses such as Slenderpane who sponsored the medals at the Haddenham Santa Dash, Fitlife Haddenham for the warm-up there, and BML Training for doing the warm-up at Wendover and Great Missenden.”

Santas raise over £6,000 in December

and its Students’ Union which are supporting the Hospice through raising money and putting on events, including a super-chic Vintage Pop-Up Shop on campus.

The University of Buckingham

for raising money for the Hospice on their stand at the Kop Hill Climb. They raised £490 and it also gave our staff a great opportunity to chat to local people about hospice care.

of Wellness for Success for raising £300 for the Hospice, with a presentation on how to live happier, more fulfilling lives. Evelyn is a fellow Member of the BNI Heritage group which selected the Charity as their Charity of the Year in 2019.

which raised £530 at their annual Wendover Charity Cricket Match in aid of Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity, in memory of Kathy Tallyn.

3B Hire and Servicing

Evelyn Kaluza

Jollyboys Cricket Club

A big thank you to...

and everyone who supported the Christmas Gift Wrapping Stall in Friars Square Shopping Centre. 53 Volunteers spent six days wrapping hundreds of Christmas presents of all shapes and sizes. Thank you to everyone who gave up their time and to New York Deli for keeping our Volunteers supplied with free tea and coffee. The Volunteers raised an impressive £3,228 - over £300 more than last year! A huge thank you to the countless people who generously donated whilst having their gifts wrapped.

The Gift Wrapping Volunteers

Thank-you

Haddenham

Wendover

Great Missenden

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COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

A big thank you to...

for providing eight Volunteers who marshalled and helped at the Haddenham Santa Dash. Thanks to all the other Volunteers from the HCSG and the village who also helped out – this event could not have happened without you!

for raising £1,000 at this year’s Ali Haddow Memorial Golf Day, held at Silverstone Golf Club & Hotel. A huge thank you also to all the contributors, sponsors and players.

Haddenham Masonic Lodge

Margaret Haddow and Barrie and Barbara Johnson

from St Mary’s Church of England School, Bedgrove Junior School, Ashmead Combined School, Bierton Church of England Combined School, Whitchurch County Combined School, Aston Clinton School, Broughton Junior School and Turnfurlong Junior School for raising £3,382 by supporting the FNHC Christmas Appeal and buying Flumpets in December.

for raising an impressive £757 at their Charity Concert with The New Honeycombs.

who is a regular, longstanding fundraiser and Volunteer who also raises money for the Hospice through her Flower Arranging Demonstrations. Val raffles off her arrangements at every event, raising money for hospice care in the process. Val is a very creative and innovative florist, as you can see from this arrangement which she created in FNHC colours to celebrate the 30th Anniversary.

who added to the Pyramid of Coffee Mornings total by raising over £1000 at her Coffee Morning in Billington. Deborah also works hard for the Charity as a Trustee with a particular responsibility for Retail, and we are very grateful to her and to all our Trustees for the care and time they give to the Charity.

for taking part in our Pyramid of Coffee Mornings and raising £351 for the Charity.

and their customers who raised a whopping £4,090 from their Christmas Raffle. Thanks also to all the donors who donated over 150 prizes, from restaurant vouchers to fishing kit. We are really looking forward to their Open Day in aid of the Hospice on June 6th.

Pupils, parents and staff

Aylesbury Railway Club

Val Truby

Deborah Earnshaw

Gill Bennett

Alders Farm Fishery

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COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

A big thank you to...

from The Chilterns Weather Alerts who donated the Christmas Tree to the Hospice which stood outside the Hospice throughout the festive season and into New Year carrying lights dedicated to the memory of loved ones who had been cared for by the Florence team.

for yet another high quality Music Quiz in November. The triumphant winners were Team Bon Jovi while the despondent losers were Def Leppard, but the ultimate winners were our Hospice patients and their families - the Quiz raised £610 for the Charity! Thanks so much to Andy for organising, and to everyone who took part and helped to raise such a fantastic amount from the evening.

and all their helpers for organising the Christmas Bazaar and raising nearly £1,000. It was lovely to see so many people getting together to shop, chat, eat and drink to support the Charity. Jane, Ann and Dorothy have done a huge amount of fundraising and volunteering over many years, and put in an incredible amount of hours, ideas and effort in the 30th Anniversary year. Thank you so much to all three of you for everything you do for the Charity.

for all their support at fundraising events and for raising £503 from donations at their Monday “On The Walk” sessions, and other events.

Harry

Andy CowieJane, Ann and Dorothy

On The Run Aylesbury

from the Provincial Grand Lodge of Buckinghamshire Freemasons who raised £300 for the Charity by auctioning off two bottles of wine they were presented with at a tour of Waddesdon Manor.

for organising a fantastic Dance-a-thon and raising an amazing £1,300 for the Hospice in memory of their Mum and Grandma, Carol, who was cared for by our Community Team.

Mark Duncan and Peter Thomas

Kelly, Keira and Eden Smith

for putting on a fabulous Christmas Cocktails, Glitz and Glamour event in memory of their colleague Carla Fenn, and especially to all the Scruples stylists and therapists who gave their time for free to raise money for the Hospice in gratitude for the care that Carla received. The evening raised a glittering £1,250.

Scruples of Wendover

who put on a fantastic fundraising event which raised £2,000 for the Hospice. Scott was cared for at the Hospice in his final days aged 45, just a few months after his initial diagnosis of lung cancer.

The family of Scott Eburne

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COMMUNITY COMMUNITY

A big thank you to...

for raising £130 by selling handmade bracelets and glitter tattoos at a school disco in memory of a close friend’s father who passed away at Florence Nightingale Hospice. Fantastic effort and amount raised - thank you, Charlee!

The picture says it all!

of Howe & Co Fish and Chips who has raised a total of £651 in the past year through donations to the Florence green tub on his van! And a huge thank you to his very generous customers who put their spare change in the tub to support the Hospice.

who performed Bach’s Christmas Oratorio in Thame and raised a fantastic £821 for the Hospice.

for choosing to support Florrie’s Children’s Team as one of the recipients of the Christmas Toy Appeal and a huge thank you to everyone who donated toys.

Jamie Bachman

The Great Milton Singers

Mix 96Charlee

Marilyn Pipeand their customers who kindly donated Christmas Advent Calendars to be given to the children cared for by the Florrie’s Children’s Team and their siblings.

for raising £727 at an afternoon tea event which was then match-funded with an additional £500 by Lloyds Banking Group. Thanks to everyone who organised and participated and to Lloyds for their generous donation.

Reflexions Health and Leisure Club

Aylesbury Aces Bridge Club

for organising an 80s Fundraising Quiz to celebrate 30 years of Florence Nightingale Hospice. They raised £600, which was split between the Club and the Charity. Well done to Quack to the Future, quiz winners, and to the joint fancy dress winners – their costumes were amazing.

Aylesbury United Ladies & Girls FC

in Princes Risborough for running a charity raffle whose winner, Doug, selected the Hospice to receive the proceeds of £265.

Fonehouse

18 19

CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS

Thanks to the very generous donations and fundraising efforts from employees in the lead up to Christmas, the Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust (VAHT) raised £1,365 for their chosen Charity of the Year, Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity.

FNHC’s Corporate Partnerships Manager Emma Carroll was delighted to receive the cheque from the Trust’s CEO Matthew Applegate, saying, “I’m blown away by the generosity of the Trust staff. This money will help the Charity pay for the renovation of the patients’ bathroom at the Hospice. The aim is to reflect the rest of the Hospice environment through creating a relaxing

and welcoming space for people to enjoy and feel more at home.”

“It’s really great that our employees are supporting such an important local charity and it’s reassuring to know they are there to help people at their most vulnerable time,” added Matthew.

Local solicitors Kidd Rapinet are very keen to support their local community and particularly Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity. In January they launched a partnership with FNHC and a new Wills service offer. From January, Kidd Rapinet in Aylesbury are donating 10% of the cost of every Will they make or update for new clients who mention FNHC when they book an appointment. Reshma Sunnassee, Senior Associate at Kidd Rapinet, said, “We are very proud to be part of this exciting opportunity and look forward to working with FNHC.”

Christmas bonus for hospice care from VAHT employees

Kidd Rapinet announces FNHC partnershipDefaqto’s Vicki Wood takes on Triathlon

Kidd Rapinet staff with their winning entry in the Aylesbury Bake Off

FNHC is now halfway through the two-year partnership with The Share Centre in Aylesbury. At a lunchtime presentation in January it was announced to Share Centre staff that they had raised a phenomenal £15,079 (including Gift Aid) for FNHC in 2019. Plans are afoot to match that sum in 2020. Watch out for another Skydive, support for FNHC’s Ridgeway Trek and also The Share Centre’s own 20p Smarties challenge

(apparently a cardboard Smarties tube holds £12 worth of 20p coins!) Thanks to all the employees at The Share Centre who have put so much effort and time into fundraising for the Hospice – you’ve raised an incredible amount to help others who are suffering in our community.

Vicki Wood, a Researcher at Defaqto in Haddenham, decided to challenge herself to a mini Triathlon to raise money for the Defaqto chosen charities this year, of which FNHC is one. Vicki put in many hours of training to get herself fit and on December 7th attempted her challenge. She completed five kilometres on a treadmill, cycled 15 kilometres on a static bike and swam one kilometre in the pool. Many congratulations to Vicki for her achievement, thank you to the Nuffield Gym at Fairford Leys for hosting, and to all Vicki’s colleagues who came along to support her. She raised £261 for FNHC.

The Share Centre raises £15k in first year

A group of Share Centre colleagues and family members and supporters from FNHC braved October rain to cycle 30 miles in honour of the Hospice’s 30th Anniversary – they raised £940 including Gift Aid!

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CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS

At the start of 2019 Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity was voted Charity of the Year by Waddesdon Manor’s staff and volunteers, and throughout 2019 more than 100 of them baked, packed and quizzed to support their local hospice, and at Christmas the partnership was celebrated through a joint Christmas card featuring a festive scene of Waddesdon Manor painted exclusively by artist Rod Brown. The cards were on sale in both the Waddesdon and Hospice Charity Shops and were extremely popular, helping the Charity raise additional funds for the Hospice.

The Charity also hosted events at the Dairy and in the Manor to mark their 30th anniversary and the launch of FNH@Home, a new Hospice at Home service to help terminally ill people living in Aylesbury Vale.

“This was a unique opportunity to work alongside a very prestigious organisation. It allowed us to raise awareness of the work done by the Hospice whilst providing a focus for all the teams at Waddesdon to engage with the Charity and with each other,’’ said Jo Turner, FNHC’s Chief Executive.

As Charity of the Year, the Charity also received a grant from the Rothschild Foundation, continuing the Foundation’s commitment to charitable organisations who make lives better for local people in the area around Waddesdon.

It’s been another amazing year of support from the Waterside Theatre and they finished the year on a festive high when they raised a whopping £4,135 from their post-Panto bucket collections in aid of the Hospice. This came after three of the stars of this year’s panto, Beauty and the Beast, entertained Day Hospice staff and patients with their antics when they kindly came over to help with the annual FNHC Christmas Draw in December. The Waterside Theatre is an immensely

generous partner and their support is very much appreciated by all at the Charity and the Hospice.

Waterside Panto collection is a real beauty

Waddesdon Manor partnership enhances Charity’s 30th celebrations

A longtime Hospice supporter and Volunteer, acar2go Director Mark Duncan is pictured here with Jo Turner, FNHC CEO, handing over a cheque for £430 which was donated by everybody that came to see Father Christmas at the used car dealership in Aston Clinton in December.

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YOUR STORY YOUR STORY

And that was the time that my respiratory nurses tried to convince me that Day Hospice would be good. But I kept saying no because it is the Hospice, and the word “Hospice”, to me, is cancer. So I kept putting it off and putting it off, and then they said, “Well, why don’t you just go for the first meeting?” So I came here, and coming through those doors, oh it was dreadful. But I did it. And I had the meeting, and they offered me one day a week, Thursdays, to come and join in and see how it went.

So I did get here that first week, and I am SO glad that I did. It has changed me completely. My life seems worth living now. And I really enjoy coming here. The nurses are so fantastic, and the doctors, I’ve seen doctors here, and everybody’s friendly, and it’s given me a purpose. It changed me a lot and everybody can see it, and I’m so glad I did it.

They listen to you. You can talk, and they listen. And they also give you advice. And it’s different to going to your GP because GPs are so busy. You have time to talk here, and it’s made a huge difference, a huge difference.

They explain a lot, about medication and tablets and all sorts when you come to the Breathe Well [Group]. They show you pictures of the lungs and what happens, and what to do when you get breathless, how to breathe. Because that is most important, that you breathe properly. But when you’re really out of breath, it takes a lot to get it under control, but if you keep trying, you will get it under control and that is the secret of being able to get over the breathlessness quite quickly and to help with everything else.

I knit for the NCC, I knit animals. I’ve got quite a lot of different ones that I knit for the Hospice. They’re all done in pieces and it’s very fiddly but I love to do them, and because I love to do them, I buy the wool, I buy the stuffing, and I donate the whole lot to the NCC. And when I come to the Day Hospice, they are quite excited to see different ones that I have made, and I sell quite a few at the Day Hospice for grandchildren and all sorts, and every bit of money goes to the Hospice because they have done so much for me, and I wanted to give them something back.

Mary with Day Hospice Lead Tracey Batt (left) who is holding the Day Hospice giraffe knitted for her by Mary.

Christmas fun in Day Hospice with Staff Nurse Viv Knight.

Mary with one of her most popular creations!

Mary Gardener raises money for Florence Nightingale Hospice Charity as a member of Nightingale Country Crafts (NCC). Mary knits beautiful, quirky animals, full of character and charm, which the NCC sells to raise money for the Hospice. Mary is also a Day Hospice patient who has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Here she describes her 20-year journey from breathlessness to knitting for the NCC so that she can give something back to the Hospice for making her see that life was still worth living.The COPD hit me quite hard to start with, that was about 20 years ago, and I was so convinced that if I carried on smoking I would never see a grand-daughter that my daughter was expecting. So I stopped smoking from that day, with patches, and I’ve never looked back. I found it hard at times because I smoked such a lot, which was forty a day. So really I’ve done it to myself but in those days you didn’t think about cancer and smoking and things like that.

Doing anything was making me out of breath, not terribly, but out of breath, so I did it for myself really, I stopped the smoking and I was so surprised that I did, and my family was so surprised that I managed to do it.

But now each infection I get, my COPD gradually gets a little bit worse. It’s damage to the lungs and at this time I have got serious damage to the lungs. And it will never get better, it just gradually gets worse. You just learn to live with it, because what else can you do? It is hard, but, I’m getting there. I’m on oxygen 24/7. I find it worse in the night than I do in the daytime, but, apart from that, we live a full life, as much as I can. It’s a happy life.

You learn more about it as you go on, really, because at the time the lung damage wasn’t really that severe. Over the years, it gradually gets worse, with each infection you have a little bit more damage and scarring. So most of the time, I’m out of breath when I do anything at all. Even just walk to the bathroom, I’m out of breath. But as I say you learn to cope with it.

Two or three years ago, I had a really bad patch, a really bad patch. I wasn’t interested in doing anything at all. Nothing whatsoever. And that was hard, that really was hard. I didn’t do any of my hobbies, I didn’t do anything. And of course the depression started as well then. That was a hard time.

“My life seems worth living now”

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CHALLENGE FUNDRAISING CHALLENGE FUNDRAISING

DIARY DATESMARCHSaturday 7th March, 10am-1pmDog First Aid CourseWalton Lodge, Walton Street, Aylesbury, HP21 7TA

Saturday 7th March, 5.30pmMini Night WalkWalton Lodge, Walton Street, Aylesbury, HP21 7TA

Thursday 12th March, 2.30pmFashion Show and Afternoon TeaBradmoor Farm Function Suite, Stanbridge RdHaddenham, HP17 8JX

Sunday 15th March, 9amPalace Half Marathon Hampton Court Palace, London

Saturday 21st March, 7pmAndy Cowie’s Music QuizHawkslade Farm Community Centre, Aylesbury

Saturday 28th March, 4pmBingoWalton Lodge, Walton Street, Aylesbury, HP21 7TA

APRILSaturday 4th April, 10am-2pmEaster Egg TombolaFriars Square Shopping Centre, Aylesbury

Sunday 19th April, 7amBrighton Marathon RideBrighton

Sunday 19th April, 9.45amBrighton MarathonBrighton

MAYSunday 3rd May, 10amMilton Keynes Half and Full MarathonsStadiumMK, Milton Keynes

JUNEThursday 11th-Sunday 14th JuneThe Ridgeway TrekSwindon-Stoke Mandeville

Saturday 27th JuneMidnight Walk 2020Aylesbury CollegeOxford Road, Aylesbury

To learn hands on up-to-date techniques that could potentially save lives in an emergency situation.

A taste of the Midnight Walk for little ones. Walk one mile from the Charity’s Head Office into Aylesbury and back…in the dark! Flashing bunny ears supplied to all children taking part.

A closer look at the new season’s fashions from Baban Boutique in Thame, followed by afternoon tea. Tickets £20 from FNHC Haddenham Shop or call 01844 292070 to book.

Looking for a fitness challenge? Run a half marathon at one of the two surviving palaces of King Henry VIII in aid of the Hospice.

Ever-popular music quiz run by Andy Cowie, with a Fish and Chip dinner. Tickets available on the FNHC website, or call 01296 429975. Tables of 8.

Join us for a fun evening of bingo with some great prizes on offer, plus tombola and raffle. Tickets £10 including fish and chip supper.

Try your luck to win some Easter chocolate – with over 300 Easter Eggs to win, you’re sure to get lucky! Eggs are donated by the local community.

Cycle the Brighton Marathon Ride – 50km in length taking in all of the Brighton Marathon course, including Brighton city centre and the seafront.

Fancy doing a full marathon around Brighton, starting and finishing on the seafront? It’s one of the nation’s favourites with its seaside finish.

A nice local but challenging marathon course. Take on a full or half marathon starting and finishing at stadiumMK.

Enjoy breathtaking scenery with this unique local walking challenge: the Ridgeway Trek is a 4-day, 80-mile trek from Swindon to Stoke Mandeville.

Last year over 700 men, women and children walked 5 or 10 miles and raised £55,000 for Florence Nightingale Hospice. Will you be there this year to support your Hospice?

For more information on all our events,visit www.fnhospice.org.uk or Facebook @florencenightingalehospice

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from Vale of Aylesbury Housing Trust for taking on a skydive and raising £1,488 for the Hospice.

for raising £550 in sponsorship for her Skydive. “After completing Race to the Stones ultra marathon in July I needed a new challenge. I have never wanted to jump out of a plane but my friend Tracey Riley suggested it and I thought I should do something else I had never thought I could.”

for raising a fantastic £1,330 in sponsorship for her Skydive. “I have wanted to do a parachute jump since I was 18 years of age, but there has always been some excuse not to. As I hit the big 50 I decided no more excuses. The children have all grown up and it is now time to follow some of my dreams.

completed her Skydive in October and raised £575 in sponsorship. Beth, who is also FNHC’s Retail Support Manager, had some serious doubts about taking on the challenge. “Did I mention that I have vertigo and that I am having to actively not think about the moment that I will be dangling out the door of a moving plane up to 15000ft in the air?” she said before the jump. And afterwards? “My Skydive was absolutely fantastic, couldn’t have enjoyed it more!” Well done for facing your fear and doing it anyway, Beth!

John Wallbank

JudithSimmons

Tracey Riley

Beth Heale

Admiration and thanks to…

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of 3B Vehicle Hire & Servicing who ran the Oxford Half Marathon in 1hr 45mins and raised £325. “I have been blown away by not only the great work [the Charity] do but the compassion the staff & volunteers all have towards the people they get to help at some of the most difficult times of their life,” said Ross. “We all hope we will never need hospice care but it’s organisations like Florence Nightingale that provide the support that is so vital if we ever did.”

for running the Oxford Half Marathon for the Hospice in memory of her Nan, Annette Hill, and also in memory of her running buddy Gemma’s Mum, Fran. “I HATE running,” said Sarah. “However I decided to finally sign up to an event and have stupidly chosen a half marathon and to spur me on across the finish line I thought that raising money for a charity close to my heart would do it! Florence Nightingale Hospice in Aylesbury were simply amazing during my amazing Nan’s last few days and went above and beyond to ensure that not only was she comfortable, but that we were all ok and could spend every minute of those last days with her.” Sarah raised £950 for the Hospice.

for completing a 300 mile cycle challenge in September, raising £520 for the Charity. She smashed her target, cycling 315 miles over 17 hours of cycling and burning 6000 calories!

for completing the 10K Lake Run in memory of Claire’s friend Sharon Berry and raising £719. “I completed the 10k run in 1hr 16mins which is my PB!” said Claire. “It was forecast to rain but Sharon was with me every step providing blue sky and sunshine for the whole way round. I am genuinely overwhelmed by all the support from friends and family and others who I may not know in person but have been supportive of this huge task for me personally and inspired by my brave friend and the amazing work that the hospice do. To each and every one of you that has sponsored me... thankyou...your donations will make such a difference.”

The China Trek was a huge success. 16 intrepid Hospice supporters headed off to Beijing in October and had the challenge and the experience of their lives. They raised an incredible £54,000, so, translated into hospice care, the China Trek will cover just under a third of the cost of providing the Day Hospice service to around 120 patients per year.

who ran the Oxford Half Marathon in 1hr 48 mins to raise money for the Hospice in memory of a close friend. With Gift Aid, Ian has raised nearly £2,000!

Ross Batting Sarah Hurley

Lena Gray

Claire Davis and Emma Payne

The FNHC China Trekkers

Ian Ayris

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